The Indian culture is filled with numerous auspicious occasions, each with its significance.In Hinduism, the celebration of Diwali marks the festival of lights. The Hindus celebrate in their beautifully lit homes as they welcome joy, prosperity, and good luck.The spiritual interpretations of Diwali have many shades. It is not just the tradition of lighting earthen lamps or bursting fireworks. There are numerous mythological significance and cultural traditions that make Diwali one of the most awaited festivals every year. One might think Diwali is truly an Indian festival but, it is celebrated across most of the Southeast Asian countries and even worldwide. Countries like Singapore, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Fiji, Mauritius, Tobago, Malaysia, Trinidad, Surinam, and Guyana observe Diwali, declaring it a national holiday. In the U.S.A., under the presidential administration of George Bush, the festival of lights was observed for the very first time, declaring a school holiday across the states.Across the different states of India, the occasion of Diwali has different meanings. But all of them boil down to the celebration of good over evil, the victory of light over darkness. With this common principle underlying every type of Diwali celebration, different deities are worshipped. The customs and rituals also vary across the states. They include flamboyant decorations with light lamps, fireworks, floor decorations, and much more. It is truly a great time of the year, where not only the Hindus but people from all walks of life come together to celebrate everything positive, banishing all negativities.Although the festival of Diwali primarily revolves around the takeover of light over darkness, marked by lighting lamps or bursting firecrackers, it has more than one religious connotation. Celebrated with the making of rangoli, worshipping deities, dressing up in extravagant clothes, and consuming loads of good food, Diwali is a major festival of the Indian subcontinent. While you may have seen the viral fake satellite image of India’s map lit with lights on the night of Diwali that can be seen from space, the whole of India lights up similarly to celebrate this auspicious occasion. These interesting Diwali facts will certainly blow your mind and make you want to be a part of this grand festival.Historical Events Of Diwali FestivalThe festival of Diwali has its roots in Indian mythology. Let us look into how several historical and mythological events have led to the celebration of this festival in the Indian subcontinent.According to the epic of Ramayana, Diwali or Deepawali marks the day when Lord Rama returned to his kingdom at Ayodhya after 14 years of exile and the vanquishing of the demon king Ravana of Lanka.When Lord Rama, along with his wife Sita and brother Laxman returned to Ayodhya from their exile, the entire kingdom was filled with joy for their return after Rama’s glorious victory. To celebrate such a happy occasion, earthen oil lamps were lit in every house of Ayodhya to welcome Lord Rama.In South India, Diwali celebrations stem from the story of Lord Krishna, the 8th incarnation of Lord Vishnu.Narakasura was a filthy demon eyeing young women, causing destruction and misery wherever he went. His prolonged atrocities made women plead with Lord Vishnu to save them. Lord Krishna arrived on earth and vanquished Narakasura. Moments before dying, Narkasura repented his doings and requested Mother Earth to celebrate his death with lights and flowers, marking the freedom from fear for women.Customs And Traditions Of DiwaliAlthough most people are of the notion that Diwali is only a festival of lights, there are more religious inscriptions attached to its celebration. Take a look at these Diwali facts revolving around some popular customs and traditions.The Diwali celebration involves the worship of the Hindu Goddess Lakshmi who is known to be the goddess of wealth.In the Hindu scriptures, it is believed that during the battle for Amrit(the nectar of life) between the gods and the demons, Goddess Lakshmi was churned out of the ocean through a process called ‘Samudra Manthan’.She is believed to possess three important things: the Kalpataru the wish-fulfilling tree, Kamdhenu the wish-fulfilling cow, a wish-fulfilling precious stone called Chintamani, and an overflowing pot of gold and grain called the Akshaya Patra.As this Hindu goddess is an embodiment of wealth and prosperity, every household worships her conducting ‘Laxmi Puja’ on the day of Diwali.The ritual of flooding the houses with clay lamps and lights is done to make way for Goddess Lakshmi to visit every home.Diwali decorations call for the making of beautiful rangoli art using powdered colored rice and flower petals. These are made usually at the entrance of every household to welcome the goddess of wealth and good luck.Before the day of Diwali, extensive cleaning is done within the house. As Goddess Lakshmi is very particular about cleanliness and hygiene, she is believed to enter and bring goodwill to clean homes.The ritual of cleaning the house also has another connotation linked with the demon Narkasura. As Narakasura was the demon of dirt and filth, every household is thoroughly cleaned to keep all negativity at bay. Thereafter, the homes are decorated with rangoli art, a form of colorful floor decoration.Also, the bursting of the Diwali fireworks is another important ritual of ushering in the Goddess before Lakshmi Puja.The custom of eating sweets and exchanging gifts also has a religious significance. Mostly sweets are exchanged as gifts to spread positivity and sweetness to the lives of others. While at one’s home, different delectable sweets are eaten like Gulab Jamun, Kaju Barfi, and Laddoos.This is done to rejoice in the sweetness of life and forget about the darkness. Hence, eating and sharing sweets is symbolic of ushering positive and good thoughts, replacing grief.Another unique ritual is to gamble by playing cards. This depicts the uncertainty of wealth and prosperity and shows how good luck comes to those who develop the right set of skills.Significance Of DiwaliDiwali is that time of the year when everyone enjoys the gala of festivities amidst lighting diyas, happiness, and food, especially sweets. Read on to know more of these Diwali facts to find out how Diwali has emerged as an important festival.The word Diwali comes from the word ‘Deepavali,’ which in Sanskrit means ‘row of lights.’ This word is a combination of the two words ‘deep’ meaning light and ‘avali’ meaning row.In India, the festival of Diwali was earlier celebrated as a harvest festival. As the fall of autumn marked the harvest season, the season that brought prosperity to farmers, people of the Hindu community in India opted for a grand celebration.Diwali was also celebrated by traders and middlemen alike. The agricultural bounty helped to bring good fortune. If the harvest was bad, they prayed for a better harvest in the upcoming year.The festival of Diwali is not just celebrated amongst Hindus but is also a popular festival in Sikhism, Jainism, and Buddhism.In Jainism, the festival of Diwali marks the day when Mahavira attained Nirvana.Diwali is observed as Bandi Chor Diwas by the Sikhs. This day commemorates the day when Guru Hargobind was released from the imprisonment of the Mughals.Even in different parts of India, Diwali is celebrated differently with the worship of different deities following different customs.In South India, Lord Krishna’s victory over Narkasura is celebrated on Diwali.In eastern India, particularly in Bengal, Goddess Kali is worshipped in the name of Kali Puja during Diwali.Kali is the fiercest incarnation of Goddess Durga in the Hindu religion. She is known as the goddess of destruction or the destroyer of all kinds of evil.During Diwali, Lord Ganesha is also worshipped along with Goddess Lakshmi in the Hindu religion. Lord Ganesha is widely known as the god of bestowing good luck, prosperity, knowledge, and wisdom in every household. Hence, he is worshipped along with the goddess of wealth.The festival of lights, or Diwali, holds immense importance for maintaining the peaceful relations between the two neighboring Southeast Asian countries of India and Pakistan. Earthern oil lamps or diyas are lit at the otherwise tense border area and the soldiers of the two countries set aside their differences by sharing sweets and goodwill.The festival of Diwali marks the beginning of the Hindu New Year, according to the Vikram Samvat calendar.On this auspicious day, the traders and merchants discard their old record-keeping book and sign up for a new one, denoting the start of a new fiscal year.What are the five days of Diwali?The festival of Diwali is celebrated for five auspicious days in the Hindu community. These are the religious symbolism of the extravagant Diwali celebrations that truly make it a happy Diwali.Each year, the festival of Diwali falls between October and November.As Diwali is celebrated following the dates of the Hindu calendar, the dates change every year.The holy month of Kartik following the Hindu lunar calendar calls for Diwali celebrations every year.In India, the five-day festival begins two days before the appearance of the new moon and continues up to two days after the rising of the new moon.Different customs and rituals are performed to celebrate Diwali on these five holy days. It begins with Dhanteras, followed by Naraka Chaturdashi, Laxmi Puja, Balipratipada, and Bhai Dooj.On the first day of Dhanteras, there is a custom where Hindu women from all across India splurge in buying gold, silver, or other metallic ornaments. Research states that Indian women hold 11% of the world’s total gold assets.The second day of Naraka Chaturdashi is celebrated as Choti Diwali in most states of India or Bhoot Chaturdashi in West Bengal. People light up earthen lamps to banish the darkness and all forms of evil from their households. However, in southern India, this day is celebrated as Diwali, celebrating the victory of Lord Krishna against the demon Narakasura.The third day of Diwali is meant for auspicious Laxmi Puja, which holds prime importance in the celebration of Diwali. It is believed that Goddess Lakshmi roams around the earth on this day and enters homes that are prim and proper in terms of their cleanliness. People invite the goddess by lighting up lamps on the entrances, terrace, and window panes to guide the goddess home. To usher in and please the goddess of wealth, Diwali decorations include floor decorations by making intrinsic rangoli designs with colored rice powder and flower petals. People are in their full festive mood, enjoying thoroughly by dressing up in new clothes and distributing sweets. This is also considered an important tradition among Hindu families depicting the importance of spreading peace and goodwill.The use of fireworks also falls under age-old traditions of Diwali celebrations. However, with growing environmental concerns of air pollution, the use of Diwali fireworks is lessening. In its place, breath-taking laser shows are taking over to keep up traditions. Apart from the festival of lights and worship of Goddess Laxmi, this third day also heralds the Hindu New Year.Balipratipada marks the fourth day of Diwali. It is celebrated between a married couple to strengthen their love and devotion towards each other. In some families, brothers of married sisters go to their brother-in-law’s house to check their sister’s well-being.The last day of Diwali marks the culmination of the festival of lights. The fifth day of the festival of lights is celebrated as Bhai Dooj or Bhai Tika. It celebrates the blissful bond of a brother and sister. On this day the sister will pray for her brother’s goodwill while her brother ensures her safety for a lifetime.
The Indian culture is filled with numerous auspicious occasions, each with its significance.
